Some political campaigns are funded by unions. Others by business groups, philanthropists or developers.

The defunct campaign to stop public funding of a downtown sports arena? Well, that group has a new demographic to thank for its short-lived crusade: retirees.

According to newly-released campaign finance records, 13 of the 21 people who donated to STOP (Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork) listed their occupation as "retired." What's more, the largest contributor to the cause was Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy - who is about to enter retirement when she steps down from the council later this year.

The STOP campaign, which failed to gather enough signatures to place a measure on the November ballot seeking to block a publicly-financed arena, raised nearly $24,000 this spring. Most of that came in the form of a $15,000 donation from Sheedy in April.